


from now on

by artenon



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friendship, M/M, No Angst, Seijou!Kageyama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-22
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-26 18:00:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15006311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artenon/pseuds/artenon
Summary: Minutes before the practice match between Seijou and Karasuno, Seijou first year Kageyama Tobio encounters Karasuno first year Hinata Shouyou in front of the bathrooms.





	from now on

**Author's Note:**

> sorry for spam-uploading aaa but this is the last of my sportsfest fills for now!! from now on i will upload as i finish them!
> 
> i never really thought about seijou!kageyama before because i feel like karasuno & hinata are so integral to kageyama's development, but i was inspired by this prompt. OP wanted seijou!kageyama kagehina with bonus background kinkunikage friendship and no angst/unhappy kageyama and i, fluff monster that i am, was HAPPY TO COMPLY
> 
> Prompt:  
> TIME: before the practice game with Karasuno  
> PLACE: Aoba Jousai High School

“This is familiar,” Tobio says. “Wasn’t the first time I met you in front of a bathroom, too?”

“Shut up!” Hinata, doubled over clutching his stomach, glares up at him.

Tobio bites back a smile. “Are you that nervous? It’s only a practice match.”

Hinata straightens up sharply, the bundle of nerves rolling in his stomach discarded as Tobio knew it would be, eyes flaring in the intense way he has become intimately familiar with over the past few months. “A match is a match no matter what! It’s my first official rematch against you and this time, I’m not going to lose.”

“Good,” Tobio says, and confusion douses the fire in Hinata’s eyes.

“Wait, what?”

“You need to take every match seriously if you intend to keep improving.”

Hinata doesn’t need the reminder; ever since Tobio had run into him practicing volleyball by himself in a park a few weeks after Tobio’s last official match at Kita-ichi, he has never doubted Hinata’s conviction. He’d squandered the past three years, had been unlucky to have no team or proper support to nurture his abilities, and even though he was an overall shitty player and poor practice partner, Tobio appreciated his tenacity.

They trained together. Every evening after school and every day during break. Tobio brought Hinata’s fundamentals from pathetic to what he generously calls passable. Hinata, in turn, taught Tobio patience.

Well. Just a tiny bit.

Mostly, though, by necessity of pacing himself so that Hinata could keep up, Tobio relearned how to work as part of a unit. He learned how to accommodate Hinata without underestimating him at the same time. And he realized just how much he’d screwed up with his own teammates.

He apologized to Kunimi and Kindaichi, who looked like they didn’t know how to react, and Kunimi said they probably had to apologize too, and Kindaichi blusteringly said it was still Tobio’s fault and he should buy them ice cream or something to make up for it, and so they went out for ice cream together, and then they went to Kunimi’s house and played video games, and when Tobio went home, he wasn’t scared about starting school at Seijou anymore.

Yeah, Hinata has some outstanding reflexes and is finally learning how to tap into his potential, but—

“You’re not going to win,” Tobio says with a triumphant grin, “because my team is the strongest.”

“Oi, Kageyama, what’s taking so long?”

Speak of the devil. Tobio turns to see Kindaichi and Kunimi approaching them in the hallway.

“Iwaizumi-san’s waiting for those water b—hey, who’s this?” Kindaichi moves to stand beside Tobio and bends down a little to peer at Hinata.

“Erk!”

Kunimi relieves the empty water bottles from Tobio and takes them to the water fountain. “That’s the guy from the first team we played last year, isn’t it?” His voice is flat, like he doesn’t care either way, but Tobio can tell by the way he cuts them a glance as he fills the first bottle that he’s at least a little curious. “That shorty who was really fast.”

“Ohh.” Recognition colors Kindaichi’s voice. “So—”

“Wait, I remember now!” Hinata backs up a few paces even as he points accusingly at Kindaichi. “You’re the Turnip Head who was next to Kageyama in that game!”

“Turnip—what?!”

“I’m not gonna lose this time!”

“Hinata,” Kageyama says. “This is Kindaichi Yuutarou, and that guy over there is Kunimi Akira. They’re my teammates.”

“Waaaait, Kageyama.” Kindaichi slings his arm around Tobio’s shoulders, and Tobio staggers a little under the sudden weight. “You know this guy? S’that why you told Coach we should accept the practice match with that has-been school?”

“We’re not—” Hinata starts indignantly.

“Don’t underestimate them,” Tobio says. “I think Karasuno will be worthy rivals this year.”

He doesn’t know too much about Karasuno’s team, but he looked up a couple of their old matches after Hinata told him that was where he would be attending high school. They’re overall average, but they have the libero Nishinoya from Chidoriyama, and their ace is a force to be reckoned with as well. Not to mention, this year they have the wildcard Hinata, who is still rough—very rough—around the edges, but who Tobio is sure will soon evolve into a powerful player in his own right.

“Yeah, yeah!” Hinata says, practically glowing at the compliment.

Tobio rounds on him. “You’re still lousy as shit, though! Practice receives more and then talk big!”

“What the hell?! That was so unnecessary, idiot!”

“I’m not the idiot, you’re the idiot!”

“Oh my,” Kunimi says. He comes up to stand on Tobio’s other side. “Kageyama, you’re pretty interested in Hinata, aren’t you?”

“Huh?” Tobio frowns at him. “Well, yeah. He’s got incredible reflexes and athletic ability, and he has a drive that allows him to keep pushing beyond his limit. Once he accumulates more experience, he’ll be a dream to play with and a nightmare to play against.”

“What? Eheh, you don’t have to say all that.” Hinata is red-faced now and waving his arms around. “I’m not all that special or anything—”

“You still suck right now, though,” Tobio says.

“Urk!”

Tobio ignores him, because while he was talking, Kindaichi had dropped his arm and turned to face Tobio properly, and he’s staring at him with his eyebrows raised high.

“Whoa, Kageyama,” Kindaichi says. “Keep it in your pants.”

“I—!”

Tobio nearly eats his tongue. It’s a joke, he knows it’s a joke, but… Well, it’s not like he’s never thought about it, okay? Him and Hinata, together. They’d make a good pair, he thinks. Hinata can be a little shit, but their fights lack real heat and his energy is contagious, and the sheer joy on his face whenever he gets to spike a ball makes Tobio’s heart skip a beat. Hinata doesn’t take anything for granted, never ever, knows he’s lucky to get to practice with Tobio, to get to be a part of a team of his very own, to get to stand on the court and play and play and play.

He brought Tobio back down to earth, reminded him that he’s lucky to have these things, too. Lucky to have a team he can depend on and friends who will forgive him, if only he would open his eyes and see it. Tobio might never have reconciled with Kindaichi and Kunimi if not for Hinata, and for that alone he is incredibly grateful to him.

If he could have Hinata, too, he might really be the luckiest guy in the world.

But that’s crazy talk.

“I don’t like him like that! Who would have a crush on this idiot?” Tobio points his thumb at Hinata.

“Uh, you mean, who would have a crush on this jerk!” Hinata shoots back, but when Tobio looks at him, he’s blushing a little, and from the way his own cheeks are warm, he knows he is, too.

They stare at each other, silence descended on the hall for the first time since Tobio ran into Hinata on his way to fill the water bottles, and Tobio thinks,  _ Maybe. _

Kunimi touches Tobio’s arm. “We should probably head back now.”

“Ah—yeah,” Tobio says. “Yes.”

Kindaichi slaps Tobio heartily on the back. “Don’t go easy on them just ‘cause you have a crush on the guy, okay?”

“Kindaichi,” Kunimi warns, but Tobio knows he just doesn’t want Kindaichi to rile him up right before a match; afterwards, all bets are off, and both of them are going to give him hell over his stupid thing for Hinata. Or worse, they’re going to make him  _ do something _ about it.

“I said I don’t have a crush on him!” Tobio says.

He starts walking, flanked by Kindaichi and Kunimi. He glances back to see Hinata following more slowly behind them, red-faced and staring at the ground. Tobio bites the inside of his cheek because he looks so cute, and he forces himself to look at Kindaichi instead.

“It doesn’t matter, anyway,” Tobio says. “Whether it’s my best friend or a stranger, when it comes to a volleyball match, I will play my strongest against them. And—” He hesitates for a beat, licks his lips. “—we’ll beat them, together.”

Kindaichi’s face twists into the constipated look he makes when he’s trying not to smile, and even the corners of Kunimi’s mouth quirk up.

“Yeah, whatever,” Kindaichi says, flapping his hand, eyes darting around anywhere but Tobio’s face. “Of course, we’ll win.”

Hinata zips in front of them, so fast that Tobio almost crashes into him.

“Hold it!” Hinata says. “I’m the one who’s gonna win!”

He glares up at them, a challenge in his eyes and all traces of embarrassment gone, and Tobio thinks he looks even better like this.

Of course, Kunimi has to go and ruin it. “Then maybe the loser should buy the winner dinner?” he says.

“Wh—"

“H—”

“Oi, Kunimi, I think you broke them,” Kindaichi says. “Weren’t you the one telling me to stop?”

“Okay, then the loser has to buy the winner meat buns!” Hinata says, and tears off into a run back to the gym.

Tobio’s brain reboots. His legs carry him into a run after Hinata on instinct. “Slow down, idiot! I want curry buns!”

“Fine!”

“Good!”

Hinata laughs, bright and unexpected, and Tobio’s step falters for a moment. It’s that stomach-dropping instant when you miss the next stair and your foot goes down further than you expected it to and still finds only empty air, but then his sneaker hits the steady ground and he keeps running, only now he feels lighter.

He doesn’t know if Hinata chose meat buns to make it more casual, something they can pick up in the store rather than a—a date, like at a restaurant and everything, and he doesn’t know if he’s going to  _ do something _ about his crush even though everyone freaking knows now, Hinata included, but right now it doesn’t matter, because Hinata is beside him and in a few minutes, they’re going to be on opposite sides of the net, and Tobio doesn’t think he’s ever been so excited for a practice match before.

No matter what happens next, in this match and their next official match against each other, and the rest of the school year, and on and on, as long as Hinata’s there, it’s going to be fun.


End file.
